


Extracurricular Business

by GrandAdmiralPrawn (GrandAdmiralPoot)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrandAdmiralPoot/pseuds/GrandAdmiralPrawn
Summary: Selene Plierre is an engineering intern who was just assigned to the Chimaera a few weeks ago for an extended voyage. So far she has mostly stayed in her own lane and gotten her work done as expected, but now everything is about to drastically change in ways she could never have predicted in her wildest dreams...
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Original Character(s), Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Extracurricular Business

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all o/
> 
> So this was originally called “Imperial Interests” (I think I posted it like two years ago or something) but I have since gotten much better at writing, at least I think, so I have re-written it. I deleted the old one cuz ... eugh
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Don’t be shy to give me ur feedback. I will be trying to update it weekly or fortnightly, but me and schedules don’t always get along. So we’ll see (;

  
His mouth was moving, but she couldn't be too sure what he had said. Had she heard wrong?

" _Intern Plierre_. Must I repeat myself?" Asked her superior, Chief Engineer Lanbay. The depot seemed to grow smaller with her as she was belittled by his uncaring, supercilious tone. Intern Selene Plierre reluctantly held her ground and shook her head, flustered. Why did it have to be her, out of all the chumps in her division? Well, she thought darkly, she _knew_ why.

"No, sir." The two words fell out of her mouth and hammered into silence like nails in a coffin—her coffin. Lanbay looked at her with a cruel but kept kind of satisfaction. _Of course, bully me for being a conscripted yokel some more, old man_. She thought tiredly, clutching her datapad for purchase as the heavy stone of reality sank through any chance of escape.

She realised she had not moved to comply a second too late. The chief engineer pinched the bridge of his nose dramatically, not a sliver of sympathy in his body language as he sighed loud enough that the depots attention discretely turned on them. "Plierre? Don't make him wait." He warned snidely, "He doesn't appreciate tardiness, and neither do I. Dismissed.”

Selene dipped her head, _yessir_ , and quickly made herself scarce. Truly, she always made an effort to be punctual, she was a hard working cog in the empires machine, just like everyone else. But it didn’t matter. You see, she had been a conscript from a Wild Space backplanet entering into the Imperial Academy. It wasn’t that bad in her academy days because she and the other conscripts could all school together like the timid fish they were. It just so happened that Selene was the only one out of them to be assigned to the **_Chimaera_** , which was kind of exciting at first. Except that anybody who read her file immediately lost all respect for her after reading those two blasted words: _Wild Space_.

Although it was said that the recipient of her report was once an outcast of the Unknown Regions himself, this didn’t help to quell Selene’s nerves as her worn leather boots carried her with no small amount of anxiety to the task at hand.

She had seen him before, in passing, but never had she had to speak to him. He was like an ominous ghost in her periphery, and she respectfully ignored him the way one might ignore a frightening spectre. But as she looked down at the datapad diagnostic in her clammy hands, she realised she would need to make the spectre real.

Selene swallowed for what felt like the umpteenth time. This was it, she was going to have to do it.

She was going to have to face the mysterious inhuman Grand Admiral Thrawn all by herself.

—

The lift dinged and she briskly entered, thumbing the button for her floor. She took a moment to smooth her uniform and arrange herself.

Selene was a modest woman. She was the heir to the Plierre family, a plain name that was lost in a galaxy of more famous ones. Her relatives were all high-achieving, well-regarded scientists, trailblazers, and officials in the empire. But a hapless child who inherited her father’s unremarkable surname, and too removed to enjoy the runoff of her mother’s more notorious one, was more or less a nobody.

This of course never deterred her, but it did effect her in its own ways. The choices of her parents had long alienated her from her relatives. She had grown up in Wild Space on the planet Odessen, rather than in the core worlds. Odessen was very far from the galaxy’s core, and mostly unpopulated. Her parents had said they wanted a quieter life, surviving off of their own produce and labour, within a small community who settled the planet. But the empire seemed to reach them anyway through a sweeping conscription program.

Not that Selene was complaining, she loved her empire. Though a mutinous train of thought often did pass stations in her mind that wondered, what would life have been like, had she stayed on Odessen?

Eventually Selene found herself far from the maintenance depot, high up on the administration floor. There she was, stood outside the Grand Admiral’s office with her lonely datapad. However nervous, she sucked in a breath of cool air and steeled herself. She was being ridiculous, all that was required of her was some common subordinate etiquette. She just had to hand him the datapad and get back to Lanbay.

_Yes, simple and easy._ Feeling sufficiently emboldened, Selene fixed her chestnut hair and reached up to press the key on the door panel. But before she ever could, there was a clean hydraulic hiss and suddenly the Grand Admiral had beaten her to the punch. He looked to be just on his way out, when he promptly paused.

The man was _tall_. He was built, too. His white suit was immaculate, fitting his broad frame snuggly, and adorning many powerful plaques upon his lapel. If he was surprised to find a technician standing in his doorway, it was imperceptible on his slate face, reflecting nothing but a knowing that he was paying acute attention to the world around him—and now Selene, who had stumbled into his orbit.

"Forgive me," he eventually said after almost too long, his voice unexpectedly soft. "I did not expect a guest. May I help you?"

_Forgive him?_ Was this not the Grand Admiral?

"Y-yes, sir. You requested the **_Chimaera’s_** performance and diagnostics report." In a bid to reclaim some dignity, it was a statement and not a question.

Rather than reach for the datapad, the Grand Admiral just _stared_ at her instead. His eyes were an alien crimson red and just as impossible to read. They were akin to a one way mirror; she was sure he perceived every squirm and twitch of emotion that crossed her face, but he himself offered no feedback. It was chilling, to say the least. And no less with him being someone as infamous as he was. And he certainly was infamous. His reputation proceeded him in the Imperial Academy, and not at all in a complimentary way. They said he was a genius, but a sadist. They said he was a monster. But then he was suddenly turning in the archway to his antechamber and extending his arm, politely inviting her to her doom. She prayed that the stories weren't true.

"You are correct. I must have forgotten. Join me, ensign.” he said cordially, and then retreated back into his gloomy office.

Selene schooled her features, trying to mask her anxiety with a generous layer of false confidence as she followed him into the eerie quarters.

But beyond the stark, unfurnished antechamber, was a totally unpredicted, totally chaotic environment. The room was filled with pieces of colourful art, some were probably originals, hunks of cut stone or crude material, while others were digital copies that floated on holographic panes. There were all manner of exotic looking artefacts, tokens, and symbols all carefully displayed for analytical leisure. Shimmering above his work desk’s centre holoprojector was a blue orrery of a large sector of space, some planets coloured red and others green, or a pending yellow. He appeared to have drawn many correlations between these apparently random systems.

Juxtaposed to the tightly controlled man, his office seemed far too messy and quirky. It was like a weird funhouse dream.

In the shadows, it was difficult to see the Admiral at all except for his white regalia as he casually moved to his crescent desk and sat down. From some unseen switch he killed the various projections and turned the lights on a moment later, casting the room in a dry, clinical energy.

"Have a seat." He gestured with his hand to a small chair on this side of the desk.

"Yessir, thank you, sir." Selene forcefully smiled, adding, "Uh, the Chief Engineer sends his regards."

The Admiral’s lips pressed into a thin line as he sat back and regarded her. He steepled his fingers, wordlessly contemplating. _What in the world are you thinking about?!_ She wanted to ask. Because an engineering intern did not warrant this kind of attention, right? There was nothing remarkable about Selene Pliere. The way he watched her was so intense, it was all she could do to just stare right back. She really felt the tractor beam of his eyes lock her where she sat.

”The report, ensign?” He intoned patiently.

Selene felt the blood rush to her face. What in the world was _she_ thinking? She realised she had just been staring at the Grand Admiral this entire time.

”Yes, of course! Apologies, sir.” Selene said quickly, gingerly handing him the datapad.

His fingers briefly passed over her own as he took the device. Her eyes widened, a bolt of electricity shooting through her like a live wire. But the Admiral didn’t seem affected.

Beneath the safety of the desk, Selene rubbed her fingers, tracing that ghost sensation. She watched him scroll through the device wordlessly, head tilted and gaze flicking through words. It was quite bizarre to see such a powerful man look so very menial.

With his attention diverted, Selene took the rare liberty to really look at him. He wasn't so bad when his piercing eyes were fixated else where. They weren’t quite as dark as they had first appeared, glowing almost scarlet in the artificial light from the screen. She found herself mapping the unique panes of his face, even as her mind distantly warned of the demure decorum that was expected of such a low ranking technician, such as herself. But she had to admit that he was charming, in a decidedly unorthodox way. She'd heard some pretty outlandish descriptions of the Admiral. The lower rungs of the ship, where she often slaved over repairs, were thick with webs of scuttlebutt, mostly originating from the gossip of storm troopers. Since none of them really saw the Grand Admiral much, there was a lot of room for theatrical dramatisation.

She watched his large hand swipe through the diagnostic. His well-manicured fingers certainly lacked the hideous claws they had foretold, that's for sure. She observed him casually cart those fingers through the front of his satin black hair—perhaps a stress related habit—and she noted that he also didn’t have beastly horns to disturb the sleekness of his luscious strands.

And as her gaze daringly dropped to his lips, Selene saw that the Admiral also did not bare bloodletting fangs, either. Though he did, however, possess a delayed onsetting, yet sinfully appealing countenance. And the details that of course rang true to the rumours, his complexion, and the colour of his eyes.

But his facial structure was unusual but too familiar of hominids to be anything but, and not by any means unattractive. In fact, Selene thought he was really quite an attractive man, now that she had taken the time to adjust to his presence. He was classically mannish, his wide eyes and angular features giving him an aura of sharp masculinity.

Part of her brain buzzed at the idea that he might have invited her into his office because he had had a similarly appealing first impression of her. But that couldn’t be true, she dismissed.

She became aware that quite some time had passed now. Had she been expected to see herself out? She had grown too dependent on her superiors orders. He had not ordered her to leave yet, or had he forgotten she was even there?  
  


She fidgeted in her chair. The silence quickly became unbearable.

“What is your name, ensign?” he ironically said in that moment, without looking up from the datapad.

Surprised, she immediately straightened her posture and folded her hands on her lap, reciting loudly, ”Engineering intern Selene Plierre, sir.”

The Admiral made a small sound in the back of his throat, still perusing the information. It made her nervous. The only instances in which superiors asked for her details was when she was about to be chastised or humiliated, or maybe even _worse_. All thoughts of how handsome the Admiral was immediately flew out the garbage chute.

“When were you assigned to the **_Chimaera_**?” he continued, tone still grey and unassuming.

Selene reached for the hem of her uniform, trying to release some of her anxious energy before she replied. “Five standard weeks ago, sir. From the Imperial Academy.”

Then he looked up, and she stiffened a bit under the pressure of his gaze. “Forgive me, for I have not had the pleasure of meeting you before.”  
  


“Well, I uh—spend most of my time in the engine room, sir.” Selene defended awkwardly. It was hard to gage what he was insinuating, if anything at all. She felt like she was wobbling on a razors edge.

He made that sound in his throat again, continuing to peer at her above the datapad. “Engineering is a consuming and meticulous career. I dare say requiring ones passion and work to be synonymous, yes?”

She felt pulled up by his question. _Was_ this really what she wanted? Regardless, there was no way she could answer such a charged query honestly. Unless she was crazy. “Of course, sir. The empire _is_ my passion.” She declared, although a feeling of permission drifting between them coaxed her to add, “It is not in the interest of a conscript to question their career, sir.”

The Admiral was silent for a beat, studying her. Was this some kind of interrogation? She would answer him with everything she had.

”That is quite wise, ensign.”

Selene frowned. “Wise? I am twenty-three years old, I am not wise.”

The corner of the Admiral’s mouth twitched upward. ”Then you possess a judicious intelligence.”

Her face quickly heated. Was he trying to compliment her? Even if he wasn’t, the idea alone made her feel queasy.

“What is the name of your superior?” He suddenly asked.

Now Selene got really uncomfortable. Even as she tried to hide it, she couldn’t help but shift in her seat. Perhaps she had spoken out of turn after all. “Um, Chief Engineer Lanbay, sir.”

The Admiral appeared familiar. “Ah. And does he treat you well?”

“Sir?” When he said nothing, she lied anyway. ”Y-yes, sir.”

Never mind that it made no sense for the Grand Admiral to wonder such a thing. What was he trying to gain?

“You are from Wild Space.” He then stated without any preamble.

Selene‘s gaze shot to the datapad, suspicious. Of course, he would only know that if he had looked at her file. His behaviour was unsettling, although there was an absurdly arrogant streak surfacing in her that was quickly smothering that feeling, despite their awesome disparity of rank. She was insane.

“You read my file, sir?” She accused, feeling the energy of the encounter permit her boldness again.

“I did not. It was an educated guess, I recall the last conscription program sweeping the Outerrim and Wild Space. What planet do you hale from, ensign?” the Admiral rebuffed conversationally. He placed the datapad on his desk and leaned back again, waiting.

Was it a challenge? This was no longer about her work. “Odessen, sir.” she countered.

There was no evidence to suggest this either intrigued or bored him, though he hummed, “Curious.” anyway.

She wasn’t sure what to say after that, left with a rudderless tension that suddenly felt wildly out of place. What was she thinking, talking to him like some kind of friend?

”You must be busy. I won’t keep you.” he abruptly said, as though he hadn’t asked her to sit with him for three quarters of an hour already. She couldn’t wrap her head around _why_.

Could it have simply been for the... company?

He stood and Selene did too in quick succession, eyeing him shrewdly. She couldn’t recall such an unusual encounter in recent memory. Numbly, she accepted the datapad back when he handed it to her like a well-rehearsed protocol droid.

”Thank-you. I have downloaded the report for further investigation, please give Chief Engineer Lanbay my regards.” he said coolly but well-mannered.

Selene managed to dip her head. “O-of course, sir.”

“Good day, ensign Plierre.”

Her face must have given away how totally weirded out she was. He was so polite, so gregarious, so handsome. She felt her brain short circuiting at the notion that there really was nothing more that he wanted. What imperial officer was so kind? If anything, she trusted him less than those who were cruel to her.

”Thankyou, sir. And you, sir.” She murmured distantly.  
  


Leaving the office, Selene felt eyes on the back of her head, though she dared not turn to look again. During her assignment to the _**Chimaera**_ , she had had many acquaintances, but very few friends. Very few being none at all, precisely.

But as she entered the lift again and punched for the lowest floor—in spite of her misgivings—her innermost child did optimistically wonder if that was still true.


End file.
